Green Tips from Cindy Crawford

Like me, many moms today are concerned about the environment. We all want to live a little greener and do our part for the planet and for the health of our families. The good news is that even small changes can make a huge impact on the environment. And that’s great news for my family because changes that fit easily into our hectic routine are the ones that are going to stick.

That’s why I would like to share some easy, green tips for other moms out there. They’ve worked in my house. I have learned that getting the whole family involved shows the kids that being eco-friendly can be fun!

Drink filtered tap water with a reusable water bottle: Over 38 billion plastic water bottles end up in landfills every year. By switching to water filtered by PŪR Water Filtration and a reusable bottle, each person can prevent up to 3,200 plastic water bottles from ending up in a landfill every year. PŪR is a healthy choice because it is certified to reduce more contaminants from tap water than any other brand on the market. In addition, drinking filtered tap water is about one-tenth the cost of supplying your family with bottled water for an entire year, which could save one person up to $600 annually.

Recycle and create a compost pile:
Recycling and composting food diverted 82 million tons of material away from landfills and incinerators in 2006. Turn your kids into recycling and composting experts by putting them in charge of your household’s efforts. It will teach them responsibility as well as sustainability.

Wash clothes with cold water and use concentrated detergent:
Thirty-six percent of hot water use in households comes from laundering. By using cold water, you’ll cut back on your energy bill and consumption. Take it one step further by washing your clothes with concentrated detergent and you’ll cut back on plastic container waste as well.

Ditch the plastic bags :
Over 100 billion plastic bags are thrown away every year. Next time you head to the grocery store or out on your errands, take canvas bags with you. There are a lot of stylish options out there now so you’ll be very “eco-chic!”

Buy local:
Purchase food from local areas and help to cut back on gas emissions created by long transportation routes out-of-area fruits and vegetables must take to get to your local grocery. Your food will be fresher, taste better and the air will be cleaner.

Use an online phone directory:
Call up your local phone company and ask to be taken off of their delivery route. Believe it or not, phone books make up almost 10% of waste at dump sites!

Throw an eco-chic party:
Don’t throw out those old pants – throw a wardrobe-swapping party instead! At the beginning of every new season, invite your friends over and trade old clothes along with your stories. It’s fun, eco-chic at its best!

Go low-flow:
Americans flush 4.8 billion gallons of water down the toilet every day. Take the easy step of filling a container with water and submerging it in your toilet tank. You’ll cut back on your water bill and prevent hundreds of dollars being flushed away along with that extra water!

Unplug your life :
Forty percent of all electricity used in homes is for appliances that are turned off but still plugged in. Pull some cords on your way out the door next time and you’ll see a huge savings on that electric bill! Using surge protectors with numerous outlets is a great way to turn them all off at once.

Help Cindy bring safe drinking water to children in third world countries and you could win a PUR water filtration system. Enter contest

Hangin' it on the line

There probably isn’t anything more “green”, sexy or sassy then standing outside hanging your clothes out to dry…especially if you’re going o’natural! Hills, an Australian brand that has been line drying for over 50 years, is launching their campaign to spark more Americans to stop using the dryer and start putting their clothes on the line! Yeehaw! Something my gramma did for years but never with as much style as the Hills provides! Line drying with the Hills is like driving a hybrid…they come in all shapes, styles and forms, so there is no excuse. For all Green and Clean Moms regardless of where you live or how big your yard is you have an option to make hanging those pink polka dotted organic undies on the line! From the hefty Rotary do it all maximum drying capacity to the Supa Fold,” I only have a yard or balcony”, mom. Oh, and then there is my favorite Quatro for tiny yards, itsy bitsy spaces or indoor options.

So mamas do it like your gramma, shake those clothes, grab some clothespins and show the neighbor how to bleach your whites with the sunlight! Even the celebs are hanging their clothes and names on the line! Celebrities like Rachel Bilson and Matt Rhys, to name a few are supporting this good cause and helping to reduce carbon emissions, the good old fashion way. Get started today and sign up to put your name on the line and if you want to be a really cool Green and Clean Mom, like me…ask for the hybrid of all clothes dryers this Mother’s Day.

www.linedryit.com

A organic label conundrum!

I ordered a large box of organic natural treats for the kids, like I said I would, and they have arrived!! We are in the process of taste testing them and so far so good. As I went from package to package and was reading the labels, ingredients and doing some comparisons with food I had in the cupboard I noticed some differences when it came to organic certification and the word "organic" and where it was placed. I have noticed this before and wondered, which means if I’ve raised an eyebrow, I’m sure you have to!

Let me break it down for you and if you want further information or you just don’t get it you can follow the links for more information. Mind you, this is just for the USDA organic seal of approval. To tote the USDA seal farmers have to produce organic food using particular approved methods that help the environment and they cannot use pesticides, hormones or synthetic fertilizers. When the food leaves the farm the process continues for the certification and the companies that process, touch, handle or manufacture the food must also follow the organic standards and rules. Does the USDA check this entire process and make sure the steps are followed? That’s a completely different post but I sure hope so.

The seal actually has four tiers or levels and I've rated them from Best to Okay:

BEST: 100% organic with the USDA seal means that all the ingredients and methods to get that food to the store are organic but the restaurant, store or market sells the produce does not need to follow the government rules for the food to be organic.

BETTER: Organic with the USDA seal means that at least 95% of the ingredients are organic. The other 5% can be whatever and this isn’t so good but better than nothing.

GOOD: Made with Organic (we’ve all seen these words) means that 70% of the ingredients are organic. Again, better than nothing but no seal of approval so the methods for growing, processing and making the food can be questionable.

Okay: No seal and no organic labeling on the front of the box means that less than 70% of the ingredients are organic but organic wording may appear on the sides of the box or product. Deceiving!

Marketing screws everything up with this word “organic” because the company can be approved organic and is allowed to use the word in its name or they can say made with organic flour, etc. It makes me go cross eyed but my Green and Clean mom advice is this:

1) Try to buy products with the seal because at least you know that 95% or more of the ingredients are organic.
2) It’s always best to try and buy local, if possible even if the food isn’t organic. It will be fresh and won’t have had to travel so far. Most local farmers can tell you what methods they use. If you can talk to the farmer and look him in the eye, it’s a good thing.
3) Try to choose organic foods that are from the list the “dirty dozen”. These are the foods that have the most amounts of pesticides on them and pose the biggest health threat.
4) Use your common sense and follow your gut.

Feeding your family organic without going broke!

I live in a smaller town with only a few grocery stores. We have one natural food store and the options are good but the cost is high. This is where I get my local milk, local bread and other local products. I do like to shop around because two of our smaller grocery stores are beginning to carry more and more organic options. They have one small aisle dedicated to organic foods but throughout the store I am finding organic choices also. I just don’t have all day to go from store to store figuring out what is cheaper and with gas prices and pollution, I really have to think about what I need. So can I really feed by family organic food without going broke and is it that much more expensive?

Having my children eat food that is free of pesticides and hormones a majority of the time, if not all of the time, has become a huge priority in my life for them and for many other good reasons. My son goes to a preschool and there snack choices aren’t organic or natural (cost the director says) and my daughter goes to daycare a few hours a week and her meals aren’t organic either. I’m guessing most moms are like me, they just do the best they can, when they can. It isn’t easy but it is possible if you make good choices, plan ahead, stock up on sale items, use coupons, and buy online if you have to (and I do).

Let me share a few secrets for cutting down on the cost of organic food and some tried and true family favorite brands. First off, money and cost does matter but the more moms buy organic and request stores carry organic brands the lower the cost will become. If I like something at one store I try to call or write the manager of my favorite grocery store and get them to start carrying it. I call often! If I find a brand I like I go to their website and sign up for their newsletter and get instant online coupons. I also request them and contact them the companies for more coupons. I’m not a coupon clipper either so this is a huge thing for me the savings are adding up and making it easier to buy organic.

Right now the dailygreen.com is having an exclusive coupon deal with Organic Valley and all you have to do is get on their mailing list. You can also get the monthly green specials on all sorts of organic natural products from the dailygreen.com to help you save.

So far, I am on the mailing list and get coupons from these companies because my family is enjoying their products so much:

http://www.alexiafoods.com/trade.html
I love that they are natural, certified organic, convenient, no Trans fat and the garlic bread with our spaghetti is to die for!

http://www.knudsenjuices.com/default.aspx
The juice is well loved by the kids and bears the USDA organic label because 95% or more of their ingredients are organic. All the flavors are natural with no preservatives, artificial flavors or refined sugar. My kids love the apple juice and I add 50% water to make it go further!

http://www.laurasleanbeef.com/
My husband refuses to give up beef and to be honest I like it too. I could easily give it up or rarely eat it. Buying natural meat is expensive but saving a dollar or two helps. I bought 1 pound for almost $6.00 and it was so lean and fresh I was amazed. Our spaghetti with the organic noodles and sauce tasted better than ever. Everyone enjoyed the meal and the meat made a huge difference being natural, we could taste it right away. If you’re family eats meat and you don’t buy from a local farmer, I’d suggest you give this beef a try.

http://www.fullcirclefoods.com/
Our two grocery stores carry this brand and most of their products. I think the price is very reasonable and every product I have tried has been great. We love the angle hair pasta. I couldn’t find coupons on their website but have emailed and requested some. They have also partnered with PBS to support Chefs A’ Field, a program for children learning about cooking and farm fresh food.

So these are my tips and recommendations for now but many more will hopefully follow. If you have advise, money saving tips or coupon links please post them! Don't forget to try and win the BPA FREE water bottles until April 8, 2008!

Do the green thing!

Do the green thing! I stumbled onto this fun, wacky, unique site that gives you one thing to do monthly to help the environment. Only 177 days old but has already saved 1650.98 tons of Co2 and has 6,091 people signed up from over 51 countries to help make a difference! The site is fun to explore and has some hilarious videos to help spread the message of going green and doing the green thing!

This months green thing is to go easy on th meat. So maybe you’re a meat eater but you just give some green veggies a try this month. Why is this so darn green you might wonder? Watch one of their videos to learn more but the U.N. has reported that meat production is one of the top 3 producers of green house gases. The cows are also responsible for a large portion of methane production, which is much worse than C02 (nasty)! It’s just a one-month pledge and then next month you find out what you can do to help. This is a great way to take baby steps towards helping the environment and learning about global warming and environmental issues. Besides, it’s fun, hip and bound to make you laugh or at least smile. They have one creative green team!

Thursday's Green Tip!

Today’s green tip has me thinking a little bit about the book I just read, Wake Up and Smell the Planet. My green tip was to reuse aluminum foil but then while I was washing my sheets of aluminum foil, my husband said I was wasting too much water. So by trying to do something good, was I actually doing something bad? Yikes! That’s what the book sort of eludes to…the confusion of trying to go green and how sometimes it can be confusing and humorous at the same time. I actually just starred at my husband for a second and said, “Well, darn it all, at least I’m using non-toxic soap!” Geez, what’s a green and clean mom supposed to do?

That’s when I started doing some research and trying to decide what was better, to recycle or not to recycle the foil? Aluminum foil takes a lot of electricity to produce and it doesn’t exactly break down in the landfills. Probably the best is to just not use aluminum foil but it does such a great job at preserving food because it doesn’t let in light or odors. I use glass storage wear from Ikea or Crate and Barrel for most everything but sometimes I just need some foil. Aluminum foil can be recycled over and over so you should probably check with your local recycling facility or try Earth 911 to find out more about recycling the shiny stuff. If you want to wash it…I guess that’s up to you but I’m not sure if that’s the best option with the water waste (pulling hair out). I’m going to go with buying recycled aluminum foil from here on out and at least know that I’m doing something right. The recycled aluminum foil requires 95% less energy to make. If your local stores don’t sell recycled aluminum foils try using, If You Care or Green Feet.

Green is Hot!

I have some exciting news to share with you...Hot Mom's Club had a makeover and it is better than ever. Are you a member? If not, please join me, there are lots of perks. I've linked to this site, forever, but with the makeover and all of the great attributes and functions I just have to rave about it. This is a online forum for moms to come together in a classy, sophisticated, fun way. I'm feel like a hot mom just telling you about it and I'm not going through menopause either! This online club has been around since 2005 and since its conception; it has caught on like wildfire. Moms of a new generation are part of this club, celebrities too! It’s because we all have a common bond, motherhood. I'm part of several online groups but this is one of the best.

There’s something for every mom when it comes to the HMC! The articles range from the latest and greatest baby product, going green advice, recipes, money saving tips, kid’s allergies and more. The list is endless but the writers, staff and contributors are experienced and knowledgeable. It’s great to see a online forum with such rich content, support and generosity. HMC does a lot to help support events and give back to communities, they were part of the fundraiser for Bloom, which I donated and contributed to. I love that they have a green mom section with articles related to issues I write about and care about.

If your part of HMC join my group, an extension of this blog and its title is “Green and Clean Mom”. You’ll recognize my button and logo. If not, be sure to join and mention tell them that you heard about them through Sommer over at greenandcleanmom.blogspot.com! After you join come on over and be part of my group so we can chat and learn more from each other and how moms like us are going green and doing are part. It will be like a online eco party!